Wouldn’t you say it’s true that the micromanagers of the world also tend to be the anxious worry warts?

On a personal note, I experience anxiety often, and I’m definitely an active member of Team Micromanagement. The idea (probably more subconscious than conscious), is that if I can accurately predict what will happen and control all the details, then it will be safe to relax. Like many of us, I carry with me a rather constant sense that something is about to go wrong. Sometimes it’s stronger than other times, and often I can ignore it all together, but when I can’t, the fear becomes a living breathing monster, always just over my shoulder.

In an effort to understand my own anxiety, I look to astrology. Angst is inherent in all of the signs of course, and every planet brings with it the potential for unease poised to arise if a situation warrants it. For the sake of this conversation, however, I want to focus on the Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.

The Earth Signs

The Earth Signs are practical, pragmatic and have a deep appreciation for “reality”. Although they’re all down to earth in different ways, some common threads include caution, single-mindedness and a downright inflexibility that arises when they’re sure that their way is the right way. It’s important to note that everyone is influenced by Earth Signs and their corresponding planets because they all exist in our personal natal chart pointing to places where we hold ourselves to incredibly high standards and believe ourselves to be right (or wrong) without question.

In other words, the Earth Signs show us where we’re prone to being meticulous and demanding and they trigger the kind of anxiety that results from trying to be right and good. When deep expectations lead to shallow outcomes (when we don’t get it right), we start to fret. Our inner critic kicks in with unsolicited advice on everything we messed up.

What happens when someone yells at us? It creates stress, and our nervous system reacts by dumping floods of chemicals into our body in a potent concoction called anxiety.

Saturn-ruled Capricorn demands discipline and can really hold the bar high. You will be rewarded for a job well done, but for a mediocre performance, Capricorn can be rather punitive and punishing. “Scapegoat” is an apt Capricorn key-word and if you treat yourself like the person solely responsible for anything wrong in your life, you may have a big Capricorn influence in your chart.

Virgo is ruled by Mercury and has a real attachment to “the details” and also happens to be the most die-hard perfectionist in the Zodiac. For Virgo, the entire point of anything is to create meaning, because only when something is meaningful does it become valuable. With high standards like these, even a miniscule mistake makes it feel as if the whole world is ending. “Fault-Finding” is a keyword combination for Virgo, and if you can relate to a deep sense of self-criticism, you may have a heavy Virgo influence in your chart.

Taurus isn’t so much about getting it right for the world at large, but rather maintaining “inherent rightness”. In other words, Taurus is stubborn and isn’t often open to new perspectives or ideas. Ruled by either Venus or Ceres (depends on which astrologer you ask), Taurus is connected to self-worth and abundance. If we don’t feel abundant, we aren’t worthy. “Obstinate” is a Taurus keyword and if you find yourself refusing to acknowledge what you do have and in turn being overly possessive of what you think you should have, you might find a lot of Taurus influence in your chart.

One of the biggest reasons I equate Earth Signs with anxiety is that “reality” brings with it a sense of right or wrong that simply can’t be tampered with or manipulated easily. It is in those places that we’re up against the cold hard facts, the bottom line (even if that bottom line exists only within our own minds). Mistakes appear obvious for all to see, and that brings shame and a sense of foreboding about future blunders.

How to Manage as an Earth Sign

So, what can we do to manage the tension? Ironically, reality checking our sense of reality is really helpful. Is this real and is this true? are great questions to ask yourself. Usually, our downward spiral into anxiety comes as a result of information from our inner critic that isn’t the least bit relevant or accurate. Another way to alleviate uncertainty and unease is to feed the signs what they need. Every sign has a creative side and a destructive side and when we fall into the black hole of grasping, self-righteousness, and rigidity, we’re engaging with the destructive side of the Earth Signs.

To activate the creative side of Capricorn, you’ll want to get very meticulous about the tasks need to be completed, make a list that you can check off, this will establish clarity. Break undertakings into small pieces, each with a clear beginning and ending. It’s important to know when you’ve completed a job so you can get the reward.

Virgo loves to be helpful and give advice, so create places in your life where you can be the expert. It’s also imperative that you allow other people to appreciate the work you do. Ask for positive feedback and reflection, even if it seems presumptuous. Remind yourself that you’re a critical thinker who is perfectly capable of being discriminating without being pedantic. Take a deep breath and let the freedom of that realization wash through you.

To please the creative side of Taurus, get into your body and become aware of what you feel physically. Be very aware of the kinds of foods that you need, and of your own physical comfort. Get outside and notice the smells, the feels and the colors. Taurus relaxes when the world becomes bigger than the narrowed mind.

Reality checking looks different from all three perspectives but the goal is to come back down to earth (there’s that idiom again, but you get the point). Remember that anyone can benefit from these techniques, you don’t need an earth Sun sign in order to utilize this information or relate to it. Looking at your anxiety through the lens of the Earth Signs simply brings fresh wisdom and a new perspective along with a few tools that might just guide you into supportive ways to work with the kind of anxiety that results from trying to be right and good.

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Mahatma Gandhi says

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

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